Volcano Odyssey

Volcano Odyssey

In 2011, Syria got into trouble that eventually led to a civil war. The terrorist organization IS managed to take advantage of the chaos and expand its influence in the already unstable country. Iran was one of the earliest countries to extend its help to the people of Syria in the wake of the conflict.

Among those assisting is AlamedaIranian pilot Ali. When he finds out that his father has taken on a very sensitive mission, he returns from a flight in which he has dropped food over the territory of Syria. IS has managed to nearly control the Syrian city of Palmyra. Many people Syrian civilians are gathered at an unoccupied airfield in a large aircraft waiting for the city to be completely overrun and the flight to be fully operational. However, the plane’s commander is in the hands of IS.

Although Ali’s father was a qualified and experienced pilot, he had no actual permission. His last flight with such an aircraft was also extremely distant. Ali thus opts to accompany his father during the Operation. Both of them are advanced as far as the helicopter could take them. Both, however, still have a perils way to cover to reach the aircraft. After reaching their target, they realize that apart from the Syrians, they were supposed to evacuate jihadists from Palmyra prison as well.

They comply. But this is incorrect because a few moments after lift off, jihadists among the so-called people in need surround the cockpit, shoot the guards and get ready to use the plane to launch a massive attack on Damascus.

The above synopsis could be interpreted as a little long-winded, but the reader has to appreciate that it covers only limited parameters of the plot. As much as the screenplay may last 120 minutes, it has events that unfold within the framework’s main characters and the audience. For that reason , there is always something happening in “Damascus Under Fire”. LT: But the film is able to keep every shocked/awe-stricken audience member seated due to the overarching frustration that stems from the audience not being able to form a cohesive image of the plot because of new villains endlessly being introduced.

Still, there are a few aspects in the story that the film relies on that makes it realistic. One of the key negative aspects: the “hero” Ali doesn’t appeal to the viewer/stoners. The character, who happens to be extremely inactive and doesn’t have meaningful dialogue either, is boring and fails to captivate the audiences. Most of the time, one of the main thoughts in your head is that maybe Ali’s father is a much more interesting and dynamic character who you would have wished to follow around the screen throughout the film.

The film also suffers from the absence of set villains. At some points you feel like the film deserves to be accused of making its villains into absolute air pumps. Because of this situation, quite a few viewers think that ‘Damascus Under Fire’ is trying to mock the IS while at the same time not accepting that it is in any way a threat. The only intriguing thing, however, is that in the movie as noted earlier the villains engage in the transfer of weapons and even the killing of each other repeatedly.

Alas, the audience is never allowed to see the true faces of the villains. This is particularly disappointing when the imagery of the villains begins to evolve, as the length of the film extends, from IS-oriented sheikhs and their loyal followers, to international mercenaries who, presumably being Islamic, appear to be self-declared warriors invading Syria.

To understand their motivations for committing such acts would have been ideal but alas, “Damascus Under Fire” is not interested about that and would rather dress the rags in nothing pretty but garish costumes, and horrible trimmings and hairstyles which would befit the characters of a children party. The effect adds to one’s belief that the effort is to simply ridicule IS. It is the media events that make a mockery of these so-called grotesque scenarios, wherein the only aim is to draw attention to a mass execution of hostages.

These issues are further compounded by a certain difficulty, as a result of the volatile religious cauldron in which the events of “Damascus Under Fire” unfold. From the narration it is also sometimes quite hard to answer whom two sides of a conflict are facing and why. Nevertheless, the genesis of the conflicts are in some occasions all too visible in the first third that are somehow more Concentrations appear rather to evoke a sense of distance from the film.

Its shortcomings have a technical nature as well. As the editing is a bit on the slow side, it makes the film seem a bit old and boring especially during the first half. He has written several stories for the film and directed it but Ibrahim HatamiKia probably finds himself being too serious and ordinary to direct such glamorous scenarios and create expectations.

There is a particular satisfaction to the glorious action scenes, for example, the one where cars are allowed to turn over bilaterally, or the one in which IS charges at the Syrians using ‘crazy Mad Max’ like vehicles to blow them up. Here the Syrians are then able to use tanks here as defences resulting in huge blasts.

Unfortunately, there is some such successful scenes which are interspersed with a bit or two of CGI – those scenes are pretty clear as to what they are portraying but they are visually unspectacular. There is some such graphics I’d say 1 or 2 at the most. Besides a beheading there is also an image of a deadly pressure wave which decapitates a soldier, which is truly effective. It would be fair to say that some more action sequences which were worth watching would be instead rendered.

Also, in terms of acting, there is little to be gained. Babak Hamidian actually plays quite well but his no-nonsense Ali doesn’t allow for almost any opportunities for him to shine. One has the impression that if the actor wanted to, he would be able to accomplish it. Hadi Hejazifar is much more convincing as Ali’s father. The villains are completely twisted and totally inept. The amount of overacting had beams of locusts installed.

The use of wide eyes, the amount of screaming, the ass-numbing wave of extremities flailing about and flesh-market level facial expressions are but a few which are to be expected from these people.

What is left at the end is an action thriller that wastes much of its own potential by introducing as the hero a passive character who then meets villains who are the very personification of a terrorist cliché but not a real threat. These contradictions work against the narrative, which is animated, and seriousness oddly enough more appreciated in movies featuring only action sequences which stretches what feels like a 120 minute long movie to touching 3 hours. So you are mostly kept reasonably entertained but you never get lost in what you are witnessing.

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